Forever As One
by Clarity2199
Summary: This is a yaoi GokuVegeta fic. It takes place after the Boo saga and how they continue on with their lives. I have tried to keep the characters and plot true to form, IC, despite being yaoi. Please R


DRAGONBALL Z

Forever As One

Narr: WARNING! This is a yaoi fic with Goku/Vegeta. If you don't like gay fics, you probably wont like this. This takes place exactly after the Boo saga, which I have tried to keep in character without going OC, despite the matching (infact, I think this was a contest fic at one time, doing a non-Bulma fic and still be IC). And no...I did not kill off Bulma and/or Chichi to do this, nor do these two characters have any sudden non-interest in women. Again, I no longer do DBZ fics...this is atleast a year 1/2 old. If someone recognizes my fic, then kudos for you. The fic is in the first person, bouncing between Vegeta and Goku talking.

There's a mild sex scene in here, but the descriptions I have of any 'connections' between them was so general and lacking of any real detail, I felt it only required a PG-13 rating.

I do not own DBZ, nor will I ever...please R&R.

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VEGETA'S POV

The great battle with Boo was over. Peace had returned to Earth, once again. Gohan was now dating Videl, and once again giving up fighting, like the idiot he was...I suppose he'll never learn. Kakkarotte was alive again, and enjoying his time with his family. I too was doing the same, in-between training. Trunks was happy, and Bulma was now pregnant with another brat. In all aspects, I suppose I should be happy and content. So then...why did I feel so empty inside?

I am Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyan race... or what was left of it. The proud Heir to the planet of Vegetisei, which was now extinct. With this last battle, I had finally managed to push passed my title, my race, my past...and concentrate on the present and what was truly important for me, now. I had finally succeeded in releasing the constant anger and hate, my obsession against Kakkarotte. Was that what I was feeling? Perhaps I had lived with that hate for so long, that without it...it left me at a loss. I was nothing without purpose, my family meant everything to me, now. Could I have been so consumed by my obsessions, that I could actually be left empty without it?

As I continued to dwell on this concept, I sensed something. Kakkarotte was coming. I don't how I knew this, since I was not concentrating on his energy signature, and it was not energy I sensed now. Yet, I knew he was coming before he arrived. And it left me in...anticipation?

GOKU'S POV

I am Son Goku. The war was over with Boo, and I am at home after just finishing a great meal with Chichi. I don't know why, but the peace I was left with seemed to only be making me feel incomplete, somehow. Before all these battles came forcing me to fight...before Cell, the androids, Boo, even my own brother Radditz...I was at home enjoying my time with my family, just like today, but without Goten, of course. Back then, I didn't have a care in the world...I was happy. Do I crave so much for the fight, that I am now left restless without it?

As I think about it...Vegeta suddenly came to my mind. I wouldn't mind sparring with him, right about now. Somehow, I always felt better practicing with him, lately. When we're sparring, that strange need I craved was gone...I felt more complete, more whole. Yet this thinking only made me feel more depressed. I suppose there really is Saiyan blood in me, after all. No matter how much I try and claim I am from Earth and that makes me human, I see parts of me that made that statement definitely not true. I guess once I tasted battle, it would never leave my blood...I would always crave for it.

VEGETA'S POV

Kakkarotte appeared before me, with that stupid look on his face. I know what he wanted before I asked it. I am already more than willing to comply sparring with him...almost too anxious, strangely enough. But that didn't mean I couldn't still let him beg for it. "What do you want, Kakkarotte? Can't you see I'm busy?", I asked him.

"Hi Vegeta!", he said to me. "Practicing can be so boring, if you don't have someone to spar with...don't you agree?"

I turned away, with a smirk on my face. "I am not in the mood to 'play with you' today, Kakkarotte. Go spar with your son for awhile, and leave me be..."

It was all too easy to get that pleading look on the fool's face. He put his hands together, begging, "Oh, come on Vegeta...please? Gohan is out with Videl somewhere, anyway. Come on...it'll be fun! We can go somewhere else, where we don't have to be cooped up in here."

"Sparring isn't suppose to be 'fun'", I snapped at him, but he remained silent, waiting for my answer. After a pause, I finally answered him, "Fine. Obviously if I don't, I'll never get rid of you...", and turned to join him. The idiot's all ready to grab my sleeve and show off his instant transmission technique, but I shrugged him off, saying, "I can fly just fine without your pathetic teleportation. Besides, if you're too lazy to fly, then maybe you're too lazy to fight".

The idiot grinned again, saying, "Okay Vegeta, have it your way", and was ready to follow me out the door. As we were heading out, Trunks was arriving back here to train some more. I instructed him to tell his mother we would be gone for awhile, so she didn't whine about me being gone for hours at a time, without telling her. The last thing I needed to come home to, was her constant nagging.

GOKU'S POV

I followed Vegeta out, allowing him to choose the best location for our sparring...I knew he'd come along when I asked. Somehow, I knew that even before I asked him. As I followed along, I looked over at him...he had changed, somehow. Perhaps we both have. When I looked at him now, I sensed more than just him...I could also sense a faint bit of myself in him, too.

I could only think that it was because of that time when we merged together into Vegeto. I didn't sense any changes in the kids like this, though. So maybe it's because our merging was technically supposed to be more permanent then there's was. I didn't know if I changed any, but I wondered if some of the changes he made in his life was partially because of my influence. After we separated back into ourselves again was the time that Vegeta made some of the most drastic changes in his life. He seemed to give up hating me, and stopped obsessing over being stronger than me. He was no longer trying to prove himself, and threw everything into protecting his family.

I also noticed during the time when we fought Boo, that he was also able to read Boo's mind with me, and learn what happened to him. Vegeta never had these kind of mental abilities before, from what I could tell, and yet he joined in with reading his mind as naturally as if he's always done this. I wondered if he could also do Instant Transmission, like me. If he could...he probably wouldn't admit it, though. Whatever happened to the two of us, he's still Vegeta, after all.

VEGETA'S POV

We have landed, Kakkarotte stood there looking at me, as if he's on another planet, somewhere. "Are you gonna stand there looking stupid all day clown, or you gonna fight?", I snapped at him. That snapped him out of it. Kakkarotte grinned and got into position, informing me he was ready. It was strange though...he didn't wear the same moronic grin on his face, at that moment. No...this time his grin reflected my own typical sneer. For a moment, he reminded me of myself. I told myself he did that to mock me, but I knew it wasn't true. Still, it bothered me more than his normal blank expression, and I charged at him full-stride, intending on wiping that look off his face, the best I knew how.

GOKU'S POV

We sparred with each other in perfect rhythm. Though I was stronger than Vegeta, we knew each others moves, even before we hit our target. It was strange...it felt like I was fighting a mirror. Many of our fighting techniques had become a great mix...only our special attacks remained unique and with ourselves. I would not use Vegeta's power blasts, and he would never use my attacks. It's a sort of pride, not to lower yourself to use the other opponents abilities. I understood that perfectly.

After awhile, Vegeta began to yell at me, demanding me to use my full potential against him. I understood he thought it was an insult if I didn't, but he had to understand something...when I transform, he then no longer became a challenge to me. But I didn't want to hurt his pride either, by saying that.

I gave in, and fought him at full-strength. Unfortunately after that, it didn't last too much longer, and I beat him. After knocking him down enough times to satisfy him that I finally won, and without killing him, we agreed to part ways for tonight and head back home to our families. Yet, we both found ourselves hesitating. I think Vegeta caught himself doing the same, cuz a redness flushed over his face, and he left in a hurry. I watched him leave and felt a twinge of depression again. Even if he was no challenge to me at full-power, it was better than not sparring with him, at all. I left thinking of how to make it last longer the next time...

VEGETA'S POV

It was nighttime, and here I laid in bed thinking, of all people in the world...Kakkarotte. Am I insane? I have a perfectly good woman next to me that I can wake and have my way with anytime, but instead I'm thinking of that stupid clown! Perhaps it's the bruises he left on me that kept my mind drifting towards him. I knew he didn't want to fight at full-strength. As painful as it was to think about, the truth is I was probably not even a challenge to him at his strength. But how else am I suppose to get stronger, if he doesn't fight me at full strength...the idiot!

But there was also another thing bothering me, more than just the battle. Certain things he said and did, certain expressions that came across his face. There were times that I thought I could sense some of myself within him. What did that mean? Why would I sense myself in him? Could it be because of...no, I dread to even go there. The thought that those ridiculous earrings could have caused that was too much for me to even consider. After all, if that was the case and Kakkarotte had somehow been given a small part of me into him when we separated...then what does mean for me?

Even now, I could feel him back at his home...he's not asleep yet. The curiosity left me wondering why. Thinking it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look, I brought my hand to my head, searching for the exact spot where I planned to appear...but then I froze, realizing what I was doing. I was about to use the Instant Transmission technique. But how in this galaxy would I know that? The very thought terrified me...the thought of having even the smallest bit of Kakkarotte somewhere inside of me was worst than the most horrible nightmare I could muster up. Inside me...always...festering like some terminal disease! I couldn't deal with the thought of it, and pushed it deep in the back of my mind somewhere where it could get lost and forgotten. For now, denial seemed to be the best way. I laid down and forced myself to sleep.

GOKU'S POV

It was morning, and I anxiously sprang out of bed, feeling better today than I had felt in weeks when the war with Boo ended. Last night I had trouble sleeping, and had the strangest feeling that Vegeta was watching me. Even more strange was for the first time in awhile I didn't feel empty inside, and was able to sleep really good because of that. I didn't bother to think or worry about it, though. After all...there's nothing wrong with feeling good about myself. I walked into the kitchen, feeling like a million dollars, lifted Chichi up and kissed her, then asked, "What's for breakfast? I'm starved!"

"Me, too!", cried out Goten.

Chichi looked at me, and asked, "What got into you?"

"Dunno", I shrugged. "I guess I'm just having a good day..."

"Well Gohan called this morning, you should know. He'll be coming over soon, so I don't want you running off again", Chichi insisted.

I was happy to hear that...it sounded like my day altogether was going to be great. I'd have breakfast here, have a visit from my son, then I would go over later and spar with Vegeta some more.

It didn't take long for me to wolf my food down along with Goten, just as Gohan showed up. I then played a bit with Goten, as Gohan finished his food and joined us. "Hey son, what brings you over here?", I asked him.

"Ehh...just a visit. Maybe we can do a little sparring today, like the old days when we used to. It's a weekend, so I don't have school, and Videl is working all day, so...what do you think?", he asked.

This should have sounded like a great idea for me, but I didn't think even Gohan expected the sudden mood change. If I did that, I would have no time to spar with Vegeta...and I was looking forward to that. Gohan already began to have a depressed look on his face, which I didn't want to happen. So, I forced a bright look back on my own face, rubbing the back of my neck, and laughing. "Well that sounds good and all Gohan, it's just that Vegeta expected me to go over and spar with him today. And you know how he gets, if I re-nig on 'his royal command'". I felt bad, now. I actually didn't make arrangements with Vegeta yet...but I really wanted to go today.

Gohan crossed his arms and seemed to think about this, as if I had just given him some really tough word problem that he was trying to solve. Infact, his expression caused me to wonder what he could possibly be thinking. Gohan then suddenly raised a finger, seeming really proud of himself, and announced, "Hey, I got an idea! Why don't we go together? Sparring with three was more fun than sparring with two, anyway. And then we could bring Goten along to play with Trunks!"

This sounded great! I'd have time to spend with Vegeta AND Gohan. I was so happy with the idea, I blurted out, "Hey! Let's bring the whole family!", thinking of bringing Chichi along too, to talk with Bulma. Only afterwards, it suddenly occurred to me that it might cause a problem trying to explain to Gohan why Vegeta didn't remember this arrangement he made with me. Uh-oh...

VEGETA'S POV

I'm at the breakfast table eating, after getting up late. I had trouble sleeping all night, with nightmares of Kakkarotte trying to take over my mind. The most horrifying part of my nightmare was that in my dream, I invited him in! Ewww! I shoveled down my food, desperately trying to rid my mind of the dream, or anything to do with Kakkarotte. My intentions today were to do all in my power to stay totally away from him, no matter how much he begged me to spar with him! There was a knock at the door, but I was so engrossed with trying to keep all thoughts of Kakkarotte away from my head, I ignored it and focused on my food, as the woman went to answer it. I could clearly see from the corner of my eye Trunks staring at me strangely, as if he was also trying to pick into my brain and figure out what was wrong. I glared at him, and snapped, "What are you looking at, brat? Concentrate on your food!" He quickly looked down at his food, and started shoveling. Somehow, that made me feel a little better.

Bulma then strolled back in, chiming, "Looks who's here!", sounding almost like her air-headed mother, for a moment. Suddenly, I could sense him before he even came through the doorway. I turned with full intentions on telling him to go away, but was horrified to see...he brought the entire family!

Goku came in with that big smile on his face, saying, "Hey, Vegeta! Hey Trunks! Thought we'd stop by and visit for a bit..." Right behind him, was that son of his Gohan, practically hiding behind him, with Chichi next to him. Then leaping forward was Goten, jumping next to Trunks. And every time those two were together, they started giggling like a couple of two-year olds and ran out to play, forgetting everything else! Trunks was supposed to be training today! I gritted my teeth, realizing that there was now no way out of this. Did Kakkarotte know that I planned on refusing to spar with him today? Maybe he's not as stupid as he looked...

Bulma waved, "We'll be in the other room, so you boys go ahead and play", like she was talking to the children, instead of us grownups. It only made me more frustrated. Strangely enough, as soon as everyone else was gone and leaving only me, the idiot, and his brat... Kakkarotte's mood changed. He suddenly started to sweat bullets, and I realized something was wrong. My full attention focused on him, as I rose to face him.

Kakkarotte then stammered out, "Well Vegeta, I'm here like we planned. But Gohan showed up, so I figured instead of fighting one on one, maybe you wouldn't mind all three of us might spar together...heh heh..."

I looked over at Kakkarotte, who was looking strangely nervous, viewed his son having a blank look on his face, then looked back to his father. Kakkarotte had an unusual pleading look in his eyes, and I realized then that I wasn't the only one being deceived, here. My mood suddenly changed, and I realized I had the upper-hand. And it was so fun to watch Kakkarotte squirm. Crossing my hands with a sneer on my face, I stated, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Kakkarotte. I didn't have any plans...atleast not with you".

"Are you sure, Vegeta? I definitely remember making plans to spar again today...", he said, but his eyes were still making those ridiculous pleading signals, trying to convince me to agree with him.

It only made me want to make him squirm even more, as I answered, "I wouldn't forget something like that, Kakkarotte. I'm quite positive that we didn't make such arrangements with each other..."

"Oh", Kakkarotte said, then giggled that nervous laugh when he was busted doing something he shouldn't be doing, as he replied, "Well, I must have mixed it up with another day", looking very guilty.

I couldn't understand why he was so worried, in the first place. It's not like his son caught onto anything bad he did. He was just standing there, giving his father the same stupid glare that Kakkarotte normally gave, when he didn't understand something. I personally didn't understand it, myself. What was he so worried about? So he told his son he made these arrangements and lied...so what? Then again, why did he lie, unless he was trying to get away from being with Gohan. But normally Kakkarotte always played the 'perfect father' role, being with his kids. I wondered why he was so desperately trying to avoid it, this time?

I had been enjoying myself so much in making the clown squirm from his own words, it was almost unnaturally so. I thought I had actually felt a strange euphoria of having Kakkarotte squirming around that way, and sensed an odd discomfort in my lower section. I began to be concerned that maybe I was obsessing over him, again. I didn't even realize it, until after I thought about what he had done wrong, that got me grounded again. For some reason, I then decided to defend him after all, and said to him, "Idiot...of course we had an arrangement together. Now stop acting like a fool, for once. Where are we sparring?" Didn't I want to 'avoid' him today? Damn...this was just like my nightmare! I try to push him away, but instead like a dolt...I invite him in!

GOKU'S POV

Wow, that was a close one. Vegeta wouldn't go with it, and kept insisting that we didn't make any arrangements to meet together. Gohan didn't seem like he caught on yet, but I knew eventually it would sink in and he would come back to ask me on it, later. Just when I thought my life was over and I was going to look and feel like a real bad father, Vegeta suddenly came to the rescue and changed his mind, going with sticking up for me, after all. How strange...I never saw that coming. I didn't know why, but as he asked where we should spar, my attention moved down to his legs, and my eyes caught the lump in his pants. Guess he didn't get any, lately...maybe that's why he was so on-edge when we first came in. Yet, seeing it made me also feel strangely uncomfortable, for some reason.

It looked like Gohan was first to make a suggestion on where we should go. Unfortunately, my mind drifted and all I caught was, "...what do you think, Dad?"

"What?", I look up quickly at Gohan. I could feel my face flushing, embarrassed that someone might have noticed where and what I was staring at, which was hardly something I should have been doing. Covering quickly before anyone could say anything, I jumped in with both feet in my mouth, saying, "Yeah son, that's a great idea!"

"So, what are you waiting for...Xmas? Use that stupid talent of yours and bring us there", Vegeta snapped.

My face was turning more red by the second. Had Vegeta realized what I was staring at, knew I wasn't paying attention to Gohan, and was getting even with me again? Or was it coincidence that he decided to have me bring us, this time? "Uh...where were we going again? It slipped my mind...", I stated nervously.

I would have preferred to take Vegeta's advice yesterday and simply have Gohan lead us, so I didn't sound like the idiot Vegeta normally accused me of being. Yet, after I looked down at Vegeta, I couldn't seem to get that out of my mind, and I could feel the discomfort of my own member growing. It was even leaking down my leg...geez, when was the last time I did it with Chichi? Oh yeah, since before I fought Cell. I guess that 'was' a long time! I don't know why I haven't been in the mood these last couple weeks. I guess I had other things on my mind, and trying to focus on peace and being alive again. I'd have to try and work this out with her tonight, so I didn't get into any more strangely awkward situations like this one. After all, I wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea...

VEGETA'S POV

Was Kakkarotte just gawking at me a moment ago? These damn tight suits showed everything. But I didn't care...maybe we finally found something that he couldn't compete against. Mine was probably naturally larger than his, anyway. But just to get even, I made certain to bring his attention back by telling him to teleport us to Gohan's suggested destination...that should teach him a lesson.

The fool was becoming red again, realizing he wasn't paying attention. There was also a strange fragrance I suddenly smelled then, that made my head spin...I wasn't sure what it was. I shook my head, forcing myself not to focus on it, and touched Kakkarotte's shoulder, so he could get us there...once his son repeated the destination, that was. His shoulder was warm, and I thought I felt a spark as I touched his shoulder. Kakkarotte should really try and lower his energy level, when he knew people were trying to make contact with him!

Finally we reached the destination, and we sparred for awhile. Kakkarotte finally snapped back into reality, when we began. Gohan was correct on one thing he stated... it was more interesting when there was more than one opponent in a battle. I had figured Gohan would side with his father and try and attack me more... but I was wrong. He was more interested in doing a father/son bonding fight, so I had to kick him multiple times before it finally sunk in that I was not one to be ignored. Finally, they did gang together then, and I was forced to fight two on one. It was enough of a challenge that I didn't even have to demand Kakkarotte to change to his highest level.

We took a break before continuing, when Kakkarotte suddenly jumped up with some great new idea of his, saying, "Hey Vegeta...why don't we practice a fusion?"

Gohan must have had the same stunned look on his face that I had. I snapped, "How in the world did you get it stuck in your head, even for one instant, that I would even consider doing something as ridiculous as that? You know full well I have no intentions of doing that with you..."

"But Vegeta", Kakkarotte began to whine to me, "what if something stronger showed up to threaten the Earth? Don't you think we should atleast be prepared...if something came along? You did say yourself, that a 'warrior should always be prepared'...", using my own words against me! How dare he do that! And worst still, his son was now giving me that innocent but not-so innocent smile, knowing fully that I used those exact words against him, more than once!

For a moment I was without words, ready to go into some mindless ranting... but I managed to control myself. After all, if I can't think of a retort, then he won...and I will NOT do a fusion with him! Yet, I felt unusually drawn to this idea...part of me actually 'wanted' to rejoin with him. This sensation only brought a greater fear in me, though. I would never fuse with anyone ever again, no matter 'how' temporary it was. Kakkarotte had infested enough of himself in me, I wont do it! Finally, I snapped, "You have your son here...why don't you fuse with him! Why should you need 'me' to do it?"

Gohan looked over, sounding happy about that. Infact, it seemed something his son obviously never thought about, until I brought it up. Kakkarotte actually looked disappointed when I said it, but covered quickly, saying, "Gee...I never thought of that". He probably didn't, but it was more like he didn't want to think of it...

Kakkarotte obviously couldn't think of any way of disagreeing on the subject, so they began to practice, as I sat back, feeling strangely...left out. I didn't like this feeling, and began to feel a sudden urge to get away from all of this. It was creating confusing sensations in me that I had no words of how to explain them it was something I never felt before. I didn't think I wanted to. But whatever it was I was feeling, Kakkarotte caught the look in my eye. It seemed to mess his move up with Gohan, too...just as he was trying out his first merge. Gohan was in perfect sink, but Kakkarotte forgot to lift his finger...and together they became a fat blob. I didn't think they even thought of what the name would be for them, if they succeeded correctly...their names were already so close: Gohan, Goku. Perhaps it would be Gokan. I considered what it might be if they used Kakkarotte in it, but I knew the fool would never use his own Saiyan name.

This was getting boring quick. I was not going to sit around here and watch this fat blob for an entire 1/2 hour before he became separated. So I announced to 'it', "The sparring match is over...I'm leaving", and without even a good-bye to the thing, I left.

GOKU'S POV

I finally separated from Gohan, after a terrible screw-up on my part. I felt terrible for messing up like that. I'm the one who's supposed to know this better than anyone else. But the look on Vegeta's face, just before I was trying it...I could sense it, rather he admitted to it or not. He wanted to be in place where Gohan was, he wanted to be doing this with me. But as usual, he let his pride get in the way and refused, even when he wanted to do it. I told Gohan we'd have to make a rain check for the next sparring match sometime, and we headed back to Bulma's. After hanging out there, we finally went back home. Vegeta stayed in the training room and I didn't go in, cuz I just knew he wanted to be alone. Something was troubling him, but I didn't know what it was.

Finally night came, and I had that dreadful feeling of loneliness again. I just wish that Vegeta wasn't so worried about what everyone else thought around him and just did what he wanted to do, inside. I sat on my roof, sulking with my head in my hands, looking out in the open plane...it was a full moon, tonight.

Then it hit me...Vegeta moved. He was no longer at home, he was out in the middle of nowhere, in the forest a few hundred miles away. I didn't bother to think about how I knew it was a forest something else drew my attention. There was no way Vegeta could go that fast, to get there that soon. That only meant one thing...he had to use Instant Transmission. 'Yes, I knew he could do it!', I thought to myself. I couldn't just sit there while Vegeta was out training by himself. Maybe we could finish where we left off. Maybe he would try and fuse with me!

VEGETA'S POV

I couldn't sleep again, and decided to go out to train. I didn't want to open doors or anything, for fear that Bulma would catch me leaving, so I did the thing I most dreaded and used Kakkarotte's ability of transporting somewhere. I decided for now, I would simply sit and meditate in the wild. I needed some time to just focus...it was something I have been losing a lot of, lately.

Before I even had a moment to begin my meditation though, that idiot appeared once again, pleading to try a fusion. And once again, I told him if he was so anxious to fuse with someone, he should go bother his son. But Kakkarotte had additional ammunition for those words this time, and whined, "But he's asleep...I don't wanna wake him. Besides, we're not even the same age, and your power level was much closer to me than his was".

I couldn't go against that...the bastard was using my own pride against me, to convince me to fuse with him. But again I refused, "No. I've told you before, it's too prissy. I am a warrior only. You want to take up ballet, you'll have to settle for Gohan." It wasn't even those ballet steps that were pushing me away though, not this time. It was my own fears that were pushing me away. Something 'wanted' me desperately to merge with him...it was almost calling me. It kept reminding me of that nightmare. I wouldn't do it...I wouldn't!

But Kakkarotte gave that strange smirk again that reminded me of myself, and said, "You know what? I don't think that's the real reason you don't want to merge. I think you're afraid..." What is he now, psychic! "Who would have thought that the Prince of all Saiyans would be afraid to do a fighting maneuver. Gee, that's too bad..."

I couldn't take it...NO ONE mocks my royal heritage! "Fine! You want to do this so bad, then bring it on!", I yelled at him, before I realized what I was saying. He used my pride against me AGAIN to convince me to agree with him...what was I thinking? How could I have been such a moron to not see it coming? But it was too late, I had already agreed.

And just to rub it in, Kakkarotte had to jump up and down like an idiot, cheering, "All right!"

"Enough!", I snapped. "If anyone shows up, I'm leaving. I'm only doing it this one time, just to shut you up. But don't expect to do this with me again! Now quit your dancing around...it's bad enough you're going to be trying to teach me some ridiculous ballet moves, you don't need to act like some over-excited cheerleader..."

Once again, Kakkarotte gave me a strange look, saying, "Oh come on, Vegeta. We 'both' know I don't have to teach you how to do these moves. You already know them..."

My eyes began to twitch, as I refused to believe what he had just said. But he was right. When he was doing the moves with Gohan, I knew that Gohan's form was perfect, and that Kakkarotte's was off. But how did I know that...and how did he know that I knew that? Maybe he 'was' taking over my mind! I leaped up in defiance, as if preparing to fight him, as I asked, "And what makes you think I know how to do this stupid dance?"

"Because", Kakkarotte said, giving this cocky smile like he suddenly knew everything, "if you knew how to do Instant Transmission, then you would 'have' to know how to do the fusion dance".

"What? I...", I shut up. I didn't even think that he might have been sensing me when I did that. But then, maybe he didn't need to scan for energy levels from me, like I had been doing to sense him. It was probably more than apparent that I was fighting myself at that moment, trying to think of what to say.

Finally, I did not even bother to ask the stupid questions of how he knew, or how he sensed me. I already knew the answers, and didn't want to hear him confirm it with me. Atleast leaving it open, I could still try and fool myself that it wasn't what I feared it was we were NOT connected in some way! "Fine", I finally said and began to get into position. Before I did though, I tried one more weak way out of this, saying, "But if I already know how to do this, then why are we even bothering to practice?"

"Cuz we never did this before, obviously", he said. "Ready?"

It was frightening... we had it in one shot, without ever practicing with each other, a total mirror image of each other. That night, we became Gogetta. No sense calling ourselves Vegeto, since it was a different way of forming. It even felt different... we felt connected, yet...not 'as' connected as we were when we were Vegeto. We both yearned to be like that again, too. But this was definitely the closest we have been since that time... and we both settled for this, practicing together as one, testing how far we could take our level to. We still couldn't reach SS3. True, Gotenks could... but then they had practiced in the room of space and time. After a half hour we separated, and were left once again with a feeling of being incomplete and wanting more.

Before I could say anything further, Kakkarotte blurted out, "Let's spar!"

GOKU'S POV

We sparred for awhile, just the two of us. It didn't take long before Vegeta once again demanded that I take it to full strength again. I knew if I did that he wouldn't last long, and I didn't want this to end so soon. I was having so much fun tonight, I didn't want this night to end...it would only make that emptiness come back. For the first time since I was Vegeto with him, I felt so close to being complete again, as if we 'should' be together in one form. But the fusion didn't last long, and left me wanting more of him.

Finally, I went to full power. But this time, instead of pummeling him like he wanted me to do, I played with him... taunting him, daring him to strike me. He was getting more angry by the second, especially when he couldn't land a blow. I could feel his emotions radiating around him... it was incredible. I just wanted to get him more and more riled, as if somehow something good would come of it... but I didn't know what. They say a full moon could do something to a person, especially if that person was a Saiyan that could normally become a big ape, that is... if we still had our tails. Even if we couldn't though, I was sure it might still affect us somehow... maybe that's why I was in such a strange mood. I didn't normally taunt Vegeta, after all. Even I'm not that stupid.

He was becoming blind with rage, losing more of his sense of thinking, and gaining in pure animal instinct. I was actually enjoying doing this to him, too. Finally, using my heightened abilities, I grabbed him by the wrists, pinned him down to the ground, keeping his arms and legs from moving, with my own. I was feeling strangely dizzy, and there was an unusual aroma in the air that was getting me excited. I asked him, "So, now what are you going to do about it?"

Whatever was affecting me seemed to suddenly be affecting him too, after being pinned. He didn't say any actual words, instead giving off an almost animalistic growl at me. That growl did something to me I didn't understand... but something clicked.

VEGETA'S POV

The whole thing changed... it started out as a sparring match, but ended up like a mating hunt on Vegetisei. He pinned me, asking for me to make the move. 'He was invading my mind, and I welcomed him in...' Without even thinking, I gave off a growl at him... which would mean for the mate to take his claim. Somehow he knew that... he never took a step on the planet, but he knew that. He lunged at me, our lips locked. There was absolutely no thought process between us, we simply thought it was right. I drank him in, as he began to rub himself up against me, rubbing the wet around that was already inside my suit. I wanted him, he was ready to make me his mate.

'Mate?' Finally logic sank in, and it came back to me that not only did I already have a mate, but we were the same damn sex! It wasn't possible... what were we doing? I tried to fight, but first I found I was struggling with myself. I couldn't understand why, but I wanted this, I wanted him to do this to me. It was humiliating beyond all recognition, yet the humiliation was exciting me even more. I had to fight with all my strength just to keep myself from crying out for more. It was insanity, and yet...

As I pulled away he simply pressed further, forcing his mouth back onto mine, rubbing his tongue against my own. I couldn't stand it... I thought I was going to cum myself. If this was humiliating now, wait until I tried to explain how he succeeded in exciting me to a peak. I allowed myself to drink him in one more moment, before finally fighting back against what he was doing to me with all my strength.

With a cry of rage I blasted him off of me, causing him go straight up and quickly back down, finally hitting the ground barely 5 feet from me...but it was atleast enough to knock him off. He looked at me, stunned and confused. Not embarrassed...simply confused. How did he do it? I was desperately trying to hide the shame and embarrassment I was feeling, dreading the questions that he could easily throw at me, like 'why didn't I stop him', or 'why did I encourage this', or 'why did I use a mating call, to draw him to do this in the first place'...?

GOKU'S POV

Everything was spinning like a big whirlpool, sucking us in...and I was enjoying drowning in it. But all at once, Vegeta cried out and blasted me, unexpectedly. I was still SS3, so even though my guard wasn't completely up, it didn't really hurt. But still, it launched me a good ways up, causing me to crash down to the Earth with a rather hard landing. I rubbed my head, confused over why he shot at me. His face was flushed beat red, as he stared at me with a mix of embarrassment, shame, anger, and especially fear. I began to think about why Vegeta was acting this way, and what just happened... but he didn't give me time to think about it. Immediately, Vegeta turned and flew off as fast as he could go. I could have simply used Instant Transmission to catch up to him, but I didn't. Something really bothered him, and before I did anything else, it was time for me to get through all this, and figure it out.

As I thought about it, I licked my lips, remembering the incredible taste from Vegeta's tongue...? 'I kissed Vegeta? Ewwww! No wonder he was so upset. What was I doing?' It was a delayed reaction for me, but once it finally sunk in, I couldn't help but jump up and down with my tongue sticking out, until I found a nearby lake and shoved my face in it, drinking as much as I could.

Now that I was calmer, I sat back trying to figure out why I did it. "He must be pretty angry at me", I thought, remembering that look on his face, before he left...very quickly. But then...it was not like I did it all. He seemed to be enjoying it, just as much. And that growl was strange. Why did I think that growl meant some kind of invite for me to do something to him? Maybe I knew that from him, like he knew Instant Transmission from me.

I decided to go home and sleep on it...but I had trouble sleeping. All I kept thinking about was Vegeta and me together, rolling around in the woods. By morning, I had to change my pants. Something was terribly wrong...I decided that what happened was not normal, and figured maybe it was time to consult someone about this. Who would be best to talk to, though? I doubt Vegeta would 'want' to talk about this, and even if he wanted to, he would know as much about this as me. Piccolo? No...King Kai? Hey, maybe King Kai would know something! I had breakfast, then told Chichi I had to go out, that I had some concerns about a friend. I then used Instant Transmission, leaving her probably wondering why I had to go in such a rush.

VEGETA'S POV

I can't take this...it's too much! I returned to my home, after getting away from Kakkarotte as quickly as I could. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to face him, or even face myself in a mirror, ever again. Why was this happening to me? I quickly went into the nearest bathroom, tossed my clothes in the laundry, and probably showered ten times, desperately trying to get his scent off of me...it was unbearable! Not only did that scent keep making his face pop into my mind, I kept thinking all Trunks had to do the next day was walk by me, smell Kakkarotte's scent, and know something happened!

I had to get a hold of myself...I'm not thinking straight. What would the little brat know anyway about such things?

I suddenly stopped everything, hearing a noise outside the door. Don't tell me he followed me, again? No...he wouldn't...he wouldn't dare! I almost screamed as the door opened, but to my relief it was only Bulma. Atleast I held my tongue, so I didn't sound like that cowardly ex-boyfriend of hers.

She entered, and asked, "Vegeta? I wondered where you were. Pulling a late one tonight? You're not going to get any sleep if you keep overworking yourself." She opened the shower door, saying, "Why don't you come to bed?"

I looked at her, then pulled her into the shower with me, robe and all...but the robe didn't last long before it was thrown outside the shower. I had to have her, I had to get Kakkarotte's stupid grin out of my head. True, using Bulma just to keep myself from thinking of someone else wasn't really the best reason to be with her, but I did it anyway. She was my wife, she was mine...I had the right to be with her, whatever the excuse. She didn't seem to mind either way, and was more than happy to join in. I felt better after expelling excess energies with her. I was calm once again. We went upstairs to bed with nothing but a towel, and once again I shoved any unpleasant thoughts I didn't want in the back of my mind, not wanting to remember them. But I had a feeling by morning, they weren't simply going to go away like the last thoughts...this was only going to get worse.

GOKU'S POV

I appeared in Other-World next to King Kai, and gave a pleasant greeting to him. Yet before I could say anything to him, he shot his hands up in defense, saying, "No no Goku, I can't talk right now. Maybe you should go see Elder Kai, or Supreme Kai...they'd probably be more than happy to help you with your problem!"

I asked him, "Gee King Kai, how did you know I had a problem? I didn't even mention it, yet..."

He chuckled nervously, saying, "Well, what do you know...I guess I must be getting psychic or something..."

"Great, then you know what my problem is!", I said.

"I didn't see anything!", King Kai suddenly blurted. "This kind of problem isn't up to me to know about...I really think Elder Kai or..."

Suddenly both Elder Kai and Supreme Kai appeared. Elder Kai shook his fist, saying, "Oh, so you're going to try and throw this problem on me, are ya? Well, incase you didn't notice, he came to you for help...not me!"

"I'm not touching this", King Kai flailed, "You're the wisest, and the higher ranking"

"Well, as higher ranking, I order you to deal with this!", Elder Kai insisted.

"Hey, that's not fair!", King Kai pouted.

I approached saying, "Listen, I really need some help, guys. You see, I was with Vegeta last night, and..."

"Don't tell us any gruesome details!", King Kai said. Then all at once, the three chimed in, "We know!"

"How did you know?", I asked, a bit confused at the chaos going on.

The three looked at each other, then finally King Kai stepped up, sighing and said, "We saw, Goku..."

"You were watching me?", I asked.

"No! We weren't spying or anything", Supreme Kai said, blushing a bit. Elder Kai said, "It isn't just last night...it's been ever since you defeated Boo".

"You've been watching me for that long?", I asked.

King Kai finally answered, "Goku...ever since you joined with Vegeta to become Vegeto, the other Kai's noticed you've been acting...strange. At first, Elder Kai here thought you were simply being arrogant in your actions toward certain things, but I told him that it's not natural for you to be arrogant about anything. Then Supreme Kai came with the idea that maybe some of Vegeta rubbed off on you, after you had those earrings on."

"I was acting strange? Does that have anything to do with what happened last night, with me and Vegeta?", I asked.

"Most definitely", Elder Kai replied. "You see Goku, once merged with the earrings, you are supposed to be joined to that person forever...you were never meant to be separated. Unlike the fusion dance, that gave you a temporary joining, the Kai's fusion was a much deeper connection. I'd guess when you were pulled apart from him, it was not a clean separation."

"That is true Goku", Supreme Kai now chimed in. "Do you remember in the beginning when my voice sounded like two people? You notice now it does not. The voices of two blended together into one. It didn't take long for anything that made me and Kobuto separate people, merge together and become complete. I could no longer imagine being two separate entities, anymore...and I shudder to think what would be left of either of us, if we were."

I scratched my head, still trying to figure out what they were trying to tell me. "So what you're saying is that somehow that made me, uh...interested in Vegeta that way?"

Elder Kai explained further, "You have a need, Goku...a need deep inside that wants to be reunited with your other half. Vegeta is now your other half, rather you like it or not. There are parts of you within him that is desperately calling to you. Vegeta is in the same boat, and it is affecting him very hard. This need has been growing in him, and may slowly begin to tear him apart if he does not learn to understand and control this new need."

"A need...", I said blankly, beginning to understand. "You mean the emptiness that I've been feeling. It's true...when I'm around Vegeta, this emptiness goes away. So then...what can we do about it?"

The three looked at each other, then back at me sadly. King Kai approached, saying, "Goku, I'm afraid there's not much that can be done. This has never happened before. Anything that has ever merged from a Kai's earrings was never separated like you two. And since you destroyed the last two sets of earrings, there is no chance you two could be permanently re-attached to ease this emptiness within you both. The most you two can do for yourselves is learn to understand what is wrong with the both of you, accept it, and move on. The closest you both can come to being merged together is the fusion dance, but I'm sure by now you both learned it's not as complete as a merging is. It could help, but still you both might have problems dealing with your own spouses, if the only way you can find to ease your emptiness is being close to each other. Maybe...maybe Piccolo could show you how to merge the Namek way..."

The other two Kai's looked at him, saying, "What?"

"Hey, this is only a last resort, if you two can't live with the emptiness you're feeling. It's better than living a half life forever, aint it? I'm trying to help here!", King Kai flailed about.

I put my hands up, saying, "It's okay, King Kai. I'll work it out. Thanks...you've all been a big help. I'm going to go talk to Vegeta now." Before they could say anything else, I touched my fingers to my head, and vanished.

VEGETA'S POV

I continued to train today, trying everything to keep the thoughts from my head. The 400g level suddenly shut off, as Trunks began to enter the room. I looked at him, and snapped, "What are you doing in here?"

"Uh...training?", he asked, looking at me strangely. I probably was acting stranger than usual, but I couldn't calm myself down. What happened last night only continued haunting me the next morning. I desperately needed time to myself. "No, you're not!", I snapped at him. "Now, get out!"

Trunks grumbled something about, "wait till mom hears this", and stalked out of the room. Great, that's all I needed was to be harassed by that woman, now! The door closed, and the 400g level returned. Just at that moment, Kakkarotte appeared, saying, "Hey Vegeta, I...Ahhh!", and collapsed on the ground. He struggled for a moment, then got up, saying, "Wow, you're training pretty hard, today. What are you on, 500g's?"

I began to shake in rage, feeling the same shame from last night coming back to me. What was he doing here, coming to torment me more? "Kakkarotte...what are you doing here? Get out of my training room!", I shouted at him as I considered blasting him out, but was fearful what a fighting match might turn into after last night.

But he put up his hands in defense, saying, "Hold on a minute...I'm here to help! I talked to King Kai about what happened last night, and..."

"What?", I boomed at him, "You told the Kai's what we...what...what...'happened'?"

"Actually, King Kai, Supreme Kai, and Elder Kai...they were very helpful...", he said casually.

How could this idiot be so casual about this? "You did 'what'? What were you...bored? You had nothing better to do but parade it all over the cosmos? Did you think for maybe one minute that perhaps I didn't WANT you announcing this information to everyone!" I was livid...how could Kakkarotte be so 'stupid', sometimes. As if what happened wasn't awkward enough.

"Oh no, it wasn't like that at all, Vegeta. You see, they already saw what happened...they were watching. So, don't worry about it, I didn't tell anyone who didn't already know. Are you okay?", he asked, noticing the different shades of color I was turning. That was even worst! The most embarrassing moment in my entire life, and I had an audience watching me!

"Well listen, they explained why we've been acting so...uh, strange. It's because of the earrings. See, we weren't supposed to separate after we were together, so I guess there's a small piece of each other still in the other's being...the separation wasn't perfect", he chuckled. Is this supposed to be funny? "So, we weren't actually uh...interested in that way. I guess unconsciously we're just trying to become one again. Well, atleast that's I got from them."

"So then, what was their great and wise answer to this...dilemma?", I asked him, hoping to find a cure to this 'disease' or whatever it might be called, forcing my voice to be controlled, even though every fiber of my being wanted to fly over there and kill every Kai in existence.

"Well...that's the bad side. There is no fix. We just have to learn to live with it, since we no longer have the earrings to become one, anymore. They said the fusion dance might help a little. But they did say that the first part of taking care of a problem was knowing what the problem is...right?", the idiot said to me, like this should cheer me up.

Now it was my turn to think about this. I looked up at him, saying, "The only reason we are having this problem is because we didn't separate completely, correct? What you're saying is that there is some of you stuck in me, and vise versa. So fixing the problem would mean to finish completing the separation...right?"

"Well...yeah, I guess. Oh, King Kai said maybe we can do a sort of Namek merging, if we can't live with the separation, and maybe Piccolo could help us...", the clown stated, as if I would even consider such a thing, or crawling to that green freak and announcing to him that I have some new insane urge to have ridiculously close contact with the one I am suppose to 'hate' above all.

"No", I answered. That's all I needed to say about the 'Namek' matter. I then grinned, saying, "I have a better idea. Why don't we complete the separation?"

"Huh? But...how?", Kakkarotte asked.

My smile widened, as I said, "Simple. We'll make a wish..."

"Oh, the Dragonballs! Why didn't I think of that? Infact, I'm surprised none of the Kai's thought of that. Then again, Elder Kai didn't like us using the Dragonballs. That must be why they didn't suggest it. Uh...of course we'll have to ask Bulma, and she might wonder why we want to use her dragon radar..."

"Who says we have to ask for it? We simply 'borrow' the radar, and give them some excuse later. So...are you with me, or not? Personally, I'd prefer to be my own person, than having you live inside my head any longer than necessary...", I said, taking charge of the situation. Strangely enough, I did feel calmer about the whole matter, now that he told me. It felt like it wasn't my fault...it was the fault of this item that had done this to me. Somehow, that made it better, having something to blame besides myself.

GOKU'S POV

Vegeta went and 'borrowed' the radar, or so he claimed he was doing, and we left to find the Dragonballs without telling anyone. Taking something I automatically felt was wrong, and leaving without telling someone wasn't right, either. But somehow, the thought of leaving with Vegeta for a day or two, and looking for Dragonballs, put my mind at ease. Maybe it was this connection thing making me happy to be together with him for long periods of time. As I followed him, I thought about what we were both going through... it really didn't feel all that bad having a connection with each other. So we did something 'unusual' last night...I didn't see the problem, it was still fun. But Vegeta probably wouldn't agree with me.

After a while we found the first Dragonball, having to fight a dinosaur. We camped a bit, checking the radar to see the next closest one. Vegeta purposely moved inches away from me, after being closer than he thought was right, while we looked over the radar. Yet, his eyes showed different...it was like he was trying to prove something to me. Poor guy... King Kai did say he was having a real tough time with this.

Vegeta then said, "This is the closest one. We'll go there next..."

I decided to say to him, "Vegeta...is this really necessary? I mean, do we have to do this?"

He looked at me strangely, asking, "You don't think this is necessary?"

"Well...no", I say.

"Have you forgotten about last night, already? You don't think 'that' was a problem?", he asked.

I thought my cheeks felt a bit rosy, as I answered, "Well, no offense, but...I thought it was kind a fun"

"FUN?", he sputtered out. "How could you do something like that, and not feel the least bit humiliated over what you did?"

"Well...it did kind of shock me, after I realized what happened. But after I thought about it, it didn't really seem all that bad. After all, it's not like it was one-sided. You seemed to be enjoying yourself too, you know..."

Once again, Vegeta's face flushed red, as he spat out, "That was not my fault! It was the fault of those Kai's who were not informative enough with those items they used on us! I was only informed by you on the main consequence with it, and given seconds to decide on an answer! If anyone's to blame for this, it's them 'and' YOU!"

I don't know what was coming over me...it must be that connection need-thing again. But that friskiness was coming back, and I didn't even need a full-moon, this time. I gave him a look, and said, "So then, if we did that again, you'd have someone else to blame for what happened...right?"

"Ri...", Vegeta stopped mid-sentence, realizing barely through the word, what I was talking about. He looked at me with fear during the same exact time I pounced on him. He was pushing me back, snarling, "Get away from me", but his fight against me was rather weak for Vegeta. I think deep down he really wanted me to do this. My head came close to his, and rubbed up against him. I could feel him tremble from my forwardness.

But still, he fought again to push me back, stuttering out, "Have you forgotten already...we are not alone! We seem to be having an audience watching us, lately..."

I chuckled, "You're not going to worry yourself about that, are you? I mean, they're the Kai's...they're always watching. You're not worried about them when you're doing anything else personal, like taking a shower, or going to the bathroom, or..."

"They're watching then, too?", he snapped. Hasn't he been listening, at all?

"Well, yeah. Infact, they said they've been keeping a constant eye on us for 2 weeks straight", I told him.

Vegeta then spat out, "There is nothing sacred anymore, if one can't even have 5 minutes of privacy without being watched! That's it!" He began to flare up into SS, like he was about to charge off and attack the Kai's...as if I'd let 'that' happen.

Instead, I pounced again...this time Vegeta was unprepared, and I kissed him deeply. "S-stop...", he stuttered out weakly, finding it harder to resist me. I rubbed the side of his face with my own, and whisper in his ear, "Make me..."

It sent chills down him, but it also got us into a playful sparring match, with Vegeta playing 'hard to get'. I could feel him weakening...inside, I knew he wanted to as much as I did, but he was always so worried about everyone else.

VEGETA'S POV

This is degrading! Why didn't I fight against him going with me on this quest altogether, and simply go alone? He's stalking me, like his prey. I keep fighting against him, but once again I could feel this conflict also fighting me. I kept telling myself it's not me, it's the earrings that caused this... but it doesn't seem to help. He took hold and lunged himself at me...I could barely keep him at way, and it seemed every moment I was losing strength...though there should be no reason for it. His movements gave me no damage, instead they touched me in certain areas that seemed to only mess up my mind. A stroke against my chest, a lick across my neck, stop it...I can't take anymore! In frustration, I finally found the strength to grab hold of his arms and pull 'him' down, pinning him to the ground this time. He looked up at me and smiled...was this what I was aiming for? His leg moved up and rubbed me in-between my legs, and the last bit of my resistance finally melted away. Our lips connected, and it kept going from there.

What happened next was a great blur of pleasure. We touched, we tasted...finally, the clothes came off. I remembered getting in a very strange position with him, his manhood in my mouth, and mine in his. It was incredible...I felt so close to being with him, and yet I hungered for more. It was almost like no matter what we did, we would never reach our final destiny together. And it felt like it was over almost as quickly as it begun...

I must have fallen asleep after the drain, for I woke up and pealed myself out of his close embrace. I looked down at the source of my ultimate humiliation, and I hungered for more. I dared graze a few fingers gently down his side, as I thought, 'We are bonded'. It was incredible to think, never have I known two males to be able to 'bond', but obviously it happened. Then the first word finally slipped from my mouth, "Bulma..." The woman I loved, the woman who was my mate...what would become of my time with her, if this continued as it was going? No, this was wrong...I had to finish finding the rest of the Dragonballs, and make myself complete again. I would not fail my family...they were all I had left. Even my pride had been stolen, now. I got dressed, took the radio and the Dragonball, and used instant transmission to get out of there.

It was almost morning, when I had succeeded in getting 6 of the 7 Dragonballs by myself, in amazing time. This was probably the fastest anyone had ever collected these things, but the faster I was back to normal, the better. Just then...'he' appeared, again. Kakkarotte approached, saying, "You shouldn't have been doing this by yourself. Why didn't you wake me?"

I put my hand forward in a warning to blast him, though I knew that I was no longer capable at fighting him any longer, as I forced the most amount of anger I could into my voice, saying, "Stay away from me! You have tainted me enough. I will finish my quest without you!"

"Aww...come on Vegeta, don't be like that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Listen, let me come along, and I promise as long as we're Dragonball hunting, I'll leave you alone. Okay?", he pleaded with me.

I should have mustered up the power to tell him no, but I couldn't. This infestation had made me weak...I lowered my hand, and said, "Fine...we have one more to look for."

As we continued to search for the last Dragonball, I had to ask Kakkarotte the question going through my mind. "Kakkarotte", I called to him. "Tell me...since you were the one who had been the most...'forward' about this matter, have you ever considered how this would effect your family?"

"What do you mean?", he asked. The fool never even thought about it.

"You came onto me...don't you think that could upset Chichi, the one you have sworn your love and devotion to? Or what about Goten and Gohan...haven't you thought how this might affect them?", I asked him. Yesterday, I would have never been able to even bring this up...I would have been far too embarrassed to even talk to him, nonetheless talk about this specific situation. Perhaps I had gotten too close to him, to actually be comfortable enough to talk to him, even about this matter. I continue to shame myself.

"Hmm...I guess I never thought about it", he said. I can almost hear the slow gears trying to move through the cobwebs of his brain. As we continued on, he remained silent, finally reaching the location of the final Dragonball. We headed down and found some man who already knew we had the other Dragonballs. He asked for one of us to fight him. If we won, the Dragonball was ours...if we lost, we give him all of ours. I could only shake my head in amusement. This foolish human actually thought he had a chance.

GOKU'S POV

I lookee at Vegeta, and asked, "Rock, paper, scissors?"

But he waved the thought away, saying, "He's all yours, Kakkarotte. This person is not worth my time." I shrugged and moved up to him, ready to fight for it. I had to be real careful not to hurt him...after all, he's only human.

Vegeta was right, the fight was a joke. If I was a child and couldn't even turn Super Saiyan yet, he may have been a real challenge. But I don't think anyone on this planet was prepared to fight anyone of our abilities, now. I knocked him unconscious quick, gave thanks to the body laying there, took the Dragonball as agreed, and left with Vegeta.

We headed out to find a spot that was far enough away from everyone else, to make sure no one would have a chance to interfere in time, if they tried. As we continued to fly, I kept thinking about the question that Vegeta asked me. I never realized that the way we were playing would be considered against my marriage vows, or was wrong. I never thought doing something so fun and enjoyable could be bad. What I did may have hurt Chichi if she knew...could I ever forgive myself for that? And still...I couldn't get the thought of Vegeta from my mind, and being away from him made me feel incomplete. Maybe this was a curse...maybe the dragon 'could' somehow help us.

Finally, we found a good spot and touched down. Vegeta pulled out the Dragonballs, and I still found myself tempted to approach him again...though I couldn't. I made a promise. He pulled the balls out, lined them up, then called upon the dragon.

The dragon emerged, rising ever-so higher, as the sky turned black. By now, all must have been alerted to the dragon's presence. Undoubtedly it would cause chaos, and the Z warriors would start calling for information, to hear both Vegeta and myself were missing. With Bulma and Chichi both pushing, it wouldn't be long before they came looking for us.

I looked over at Vegeta, and honestly felt that I really didn't want this part of me to be removed. But I was not one to do things for myself...Vegeta made a good point. We were devoted to our families, and they had to come first. To be together would be wrong. I do this for you Chichi, and for Gohan, and Goten. You are my family, and you will always come first in my life.

But then I looked at Vegeta, and wondered...what if this part of me had changed him to being more good? What if bringing him to what he was before made him evil again? Maybe it would be better to not do this wish, and the Elder Kai 'did' say that we should not abuse the wishes from the Dragonballs...

The dragon demanded to know who summoned him, and Vegeta stepped forward claiming to be the one. I had the chance now to stop him, but I found myself frozen, uncertain what would be the best course of action. Should I do something, should I stop him...or should I take the chance, and let him make his wish?

"What is your first wish?", the dragon asked.

"I wish for Kakkarotte and myself to be complete individuals again! We have pieces of each other mixed...I want those pieces back to where they belong!", Vegeta cried out. I took too long to think about what I should do, and could only wait in suspense, and hope for the best.

With a long pause from the dragon, he answered, "This is beyond my power..."

"What!", Vegeta exclaimed, filling with rage.

I let out a breath I was holding, feeling relieved, yet concerned at the same time.

The dragon further explained, "The power that has brought you to what you are now was from the great jewels of the ancient Kai's. This powerful magic cannot be undone from my powers. But I do have the ability to reform you, and make you whole 'that' way...is this your wish?"

Vegeta was about to spout an answer, I was sure was no. I grabbed his shoulder, saying, "Vegeta, before you answer...think about it. Are you sure you don't want to? If we aren't formed into one being, we will both feel this emptiness forever. I will respect whatever decision you make. The final decision is yours..."

VEGETA'S POV

I paused from Kakkarotte's words. I now understood this emptiness he was speaking to me about. It was the thing that drove me to wanting to be with him, even though I knew it was wrong. It was what tried to make me hesitate in making my wish, but I still pushed it out and said it before I changed my mind. It would mean forever being tempted by him, or feeling empty as long as I lived. I suppose I should have been used to that, by now...before Bulma, I had felt empty all my life. I had learned to live with it once, I would live with it again. I answered the dragon, "No, we do not want that..."

"Then what is your wish?", the dragon asked.

'What is my wish? What I want I cannot have...so what is left?', I thought to myself. I turned to Kakkarotte, looking uncertain, and he seemed to understand.

He waved to the dragon, saying, "Never mind...we'll call you when we need you. Thanks!"

The Dragonballs rose, and dispersed. We were left there, looking at each other, thinking, 'what now?'

GOKU'S POV

It didn't take long before we found our families, or vise versa. When they asked us what we were wishing for, I came forward with a white lie, telling them we didn't wish for anything. I explained to them we simply had a contest on how fast we could find them all, and told them it was also a good thing since someone evil guy was seeking them out. It was confirmed when Bulma checked the dragon radar, and still saw the Dragonballs there...proving a wish had not been made.

Me and Vegeta continued on, being close to our family, raising our children, pretending nothing was different. I ended up leaving to train with Uboo, to get as far away from Vegeta for all our sakes. The shear tragedy was that for now on, we would forever remain empty, sacrificing our own wholeness for the happiness of others. Perhaps Vegeta had truly learned something through me, since he never complained about that.

And in a sense, we would never 'really' be apart, for we would always be...forever as one.

End


End file.
